Generally speaking, a photographic material is processed in the following order. After exposing it imagewise to light, it is processed in a color developing step, a bleaching step, and a processing step such as a fixing or bleach-fixing step in which a fixing capability functions and is then processed in the steps such as a stabilizing step and a washing step. In the washing step next to the processing step using the processing solution having the fixing function, a compound producing a water-soluble complex upon reaction with a silver halide, i.e., a thiosulfate, other water-soluble silver complex, and a preservative such as a sulfite and a metabisulfite, are contained in or adhere to a light-sensitive material and carried thereinto. It has been known that the amount carried in affects an image lasting quality, when a quantity of washing water is short.
For practically overcoming this disadvantage, the above-mentioned salts have been washed away from a light-sensitive material with running water in volumes. In recent years, however, for economic reasons such as a shortage of water resources and the increases of light and fuel expenses as well as for antipollution reasons, it has been demanded to economize the washing water quantity and to carry out an antipollutive processing steps.
One of the countermeasures to the above-mentioned problems is a method in which a series of water tanks is so multistaged as to flow water counterwise. This method is described in, for example, German Patent No. 2,920.22 and S. R. Goldwasser, `Water Flow Rate in Immersion-Washing of Motionpicture Film`, SMPTE, Vol.64, pp.248-253, May, 1958.
Also, there is another method having been known, wherein a preliminary washing step is provided immediately next to a fixing step so as to reduce pollutive ingredients which are carried into a regular washing bath while being contained in or adhering to a light-sensitive material, as well as a quantity of washing water required is economized.
However, the above-mentioned techniques are not applicable to any washless processes in which no washing water is used at all.
On the other hand, there are the processing methods in which, immediately after carrying out a photographic process without carrying out any washing step, a stabilizing step is followed up. Among them, there is a known silver-stabilizing process in which a thiocyanate is used, about which U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,004 for example describes. However, in these methods have a defect that stains are produced on the surface of a light-sensitive material after it was dried up, because plenty of inorganic salts are contained in the stabilizing bath. Another defect was also fount that a dye image quality is deteriorated during a long time storage.
In the meantime, when processing picture-taking color photographic light-sensitive materials including typically those containing silver iodobromide, a formalin-containing stabilizing bath is generally used in the ultimate processing step following a washing bath. It is known that the formalin contained therein is effective to prevent the variations of the physical properties of a color photographic material, such as the variations of gradation produced in the photo-graphic material either by a scratch produced on the material surface or when the material is gradually hardened by allowing it to stand, and that the formalin is also effective to prevent a dye-image stability from deterioration caused by unreacted couplers remaining in the color photographic material.
Especially in the case where formalin (or formaldehyde) is added in the stabilizing solution with the purpose of stabilizing dye images and an adduct is thereby produced with sulfite ions adhering to a light-sensitive material and being carried in from the preceding bath (such as a fixing bath)), the following disadvantages are induced. Namely, deposition of sulfur or silver sulfide in the solution is accelerated as well as decrease of effect on a dye-image stabilization that is an original requirement. To solve these problems, an application of alkanolamine has been proposed as appeared in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,583. However, when using alkanolamine, a yellow-stain prevention has been liable to be affected in unexposed areas and prevention of the deposition of sulfur or silver sulfide has not satisfactorily been obtained.
In the U.S.A., the CIIT --Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology-- has reported that rats had the nasal cavity cancer when a formalin content was 15 ppm. NIOS --National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, U.S.A.-- and ACGIH --American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists-- each have also reported that formalin has a possibility to give rise a cancer. In Europe, on the other hand, formalin is subject to the severe restriction to use. Particularly in West Germany, it is ten years since formalin has been so restricted to use not more than 0.1 ppm inside every house.
In Japan, on the other hand, from the viewpoint that muscos membranes are irritated due to the harmfulness of formalin, the laws and regulations have been carried into effect, such as the laws concerning toxicoids and poisons, the regulations concerning organic solvent toxication of the regulations concerning specific chemical substances under the occupational safety and health administration law, the restrictions concerning household goods, the restrictions concerning fiber, textile and plywood, and the restrictions concerning the use of formalin to underwear and baby clothing, which has recently come into force since 1975 under the control of Ministry of Health and Welfare. Therefore, it has been desired so far to provide a technique capable of reducing such a formalin consumption.
Further, in recent years, it has been known that Eastman Kodak has developed the color film processing techniques so-called Processes C-41B and C-41RA each for the purposes of completing a process rapidly and saving processing baths in number. These processes comprise a series of a color developing step--a bleaching step--a fixing step--a stabilizing step--a drying step, and they may be of the rapid processing techniques in which substantially any washing step is not carried out. Not only the use of a stabilizer in the stabilizing step mentioned above, but also the use of a hexahydrotriazine compound have been known as a techniques of substituting them for formalin, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication) Nos. 62-27742/1987 and 61-151538/1986. However, not that even the hexahydrotriazine compounds can hardly inhibit any dyes from color-fading, but it was found that, when processing a light-sensitive material, particularly a film sample, by the use of a fixer or a bleach-fixer and, successively, a stabilizer, but not by the use of any washing water, these compounds are liable to the so-called stabilizer running-down trouble caused by an unevenness on the film sample because the stabilizer is ran-down over the rear side of the film sample. Especially when an amount of the stabilizer replenished is short, this trouble becomes more serious than negligible.